Under an Outdoor Rug: Pads, Drainage and Deck Protection
I ruined a rug in one season and I want to be very clear about how avoidable that was, because the whole thing came down to a decision I made…
Fire Pit on Grass: Protecting the Lawn
I own six separate things whose entire job is to stop my fire pit from murdering my lawn. Six. A heat resistant mat that lives folded in the shed for…
What Goes in the Bottom of a Wood Burning Fire Pit
Seven. I own seven wood burning fire pits, which is a sentence I did not expect to type with a straight face when I started writing this, and yet here…
Putting Together a Fire Pit Gift Basket
My sister walked into my kitchen back in November, saw the counter covered in birch bark bundles, a box of long fireplace matches, two flasks, and a wool blanket still…
Fire Pit on Concrete: What Goes in the Bottom
My dad stood on my patio in Charlotte, coffee in hand, looked down at the fire pit I’d just assembled on the bare concrete, and said, “You’re gonna crack that…
Choosing an Outdoor Bulb Color Without Making the Yard Look Harsh
My sister texted me a photo of her own house at 9pm on a Tuesday with the caption “why does my front yard look like a crime scene.” No context.…
Making a Fire Pit Area Somewhere People Actually Sit
Four. Four fire pits, three houses, one very confused insurance agent when I called to ask if a “pit” counted as a permanent structure. I’m not proud of the trajectory…
Fire Pit on a Wooden Deck: What Goes Underneath
I scorched a two hundred dollar propane fire pit purchase down to a $40 embarrassment in under thirty minutes, and I want to be honest about exactly how it happened…